The number of accidents involving electric scooters is growing: drivers were often drunk
16 August 2024 12:17
The number of road traffic accidents (RTAs) involving e-scooters continues to grow. Over the past five years, the courts have heard at least 130 cases related to accidents involving e-scooters, with 34% of them occurring in 2023. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to Opendatabot.
111 administrative and 22 criminal cases related to accidents with electric scooters were found in the court register as of August 2024.
The largest number of accidents involving scooters was recorded last year: 36 administrative and 10 criminal cases. However, the number of such proceedings is only increasing from year to year: more criminal cases have already been opened this year than in the whole of 2021.
Since the beginning of this year, courts have already heard at least 16 administrative and 3 criminal cases involving scooters.
The most common types of accidents
The most common types of accidents where scooter drivers are to blame are pedestrian collisions or property damage. In such cases, drivers usually get off with a fine of UAH 340 to 850.
At the same time, the number of cases where scooter drivers are caught driving under the influence is increasing. For example, last year, a driver of a rented scooter hit a woman on the sidewalk. During the test, he was found to have 0.9 ppm of alcohol, which is about the same as after drinking 250 ml of vodka. The offender was fined UAH 17,000 and deprived of his driving licence for a year.
However, it is not always possible to bring offenders to justice: drivers may not have a driver’s licence and simply not know the traffic rules. For example, a courier on an electric scooter rushing to deliver an order with 0.33 ppm in his bloodstream argued in court that he was sober and that a scooter is not a vehicle. However, these arguments did not help him avoid a fine of UAH 17,000. The police could not confiscate the driver’s licence, as required by law, because the offender never had one.
What the scooter rental business says
Bolt and Jet companies said that the law does not require scooter riders to have a driver’s licence, but according to the rules of their services, the driver must be an adult. It is worth noting that the services do not require documentary proof of age: users must enter their date of birth during registration.
Both companies noted that all trips are insured against damage to life or property of third parties. At the same time, if a minor is involved in an accident and pretends to be older when registering (as in the case of a teenager ramming a car in Kyiv), the consequences of the accident are either not covered by insurance at all (Jet) or, depending on the circumstances, the service reserves the right to make a final decision (Bolt).
As a reminder, in 2023, scooter drivers were legally recognised as full-fledged road users – but no special rules have been approved for them yet. Drivers of electric scooters, monowheels, etc. should move as far to the right of the carriageway as possible, use reflective elements and helmets. At the same time, such vehicles are prohibited from using sidewalks and pedestrian paths.
